Driver in crash that killed Medford, Methuen men arraigned

Javier Morales, 29, of Somerville, has been arraigned on two counts of manslaughter in connection with the May 27 automobile crash.

By The Somerville Journal

A Somerville man has been arraigned on two counts of manslaughter in connection with the May 27 automobile crash that killed Paul V. Farris, 23, of Medford, and Walid Chahine, 45, of Methuen, and seriously injured Katelyn Hoyt, 21, of Medford.

Javier Morales, 29, of Somerville, was arraigned Monday in Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge on two counts of manslaughter, two counts of motor vehicle homicide, and failure to stop for a police officer. Judge Wendie Gershengorn ordered Morales held on $500,000 cash bail.

“We allege that this defendant had numerous opportunities to stop, yet continued to make decisions to drive unsafely at high rates of speed through densely-populated areas,” said District Attorney Gerald Leone. “By ignoring the simplest of traffic rules designed to avoid this type of tragedy, his reckless actions resulted in the tragic deaths of two innocent victims and caused serious injuries to another.”

On May 27, Morales allegedly led a State Police Trooper on a three-city chase after failing to stop in Everett. The chase ended when the vehicle Morales was driving hit a taxi being driven by Chahine. According to authorities, at approximately 1:20 a.m. Morales was driving a Mercury Mountaineer SUV in Everett and did not pull over for State Trooper Joseph Kalil. In his report, Kalil said Morales had made a left turn from the center lane of traffic, cutting off other vehicles. Morale’s pregnant, 20-year old girlfriend Jessica LeBlanc was in the vehicle with him.

The chase briefly went into Medford and then into Somerville. As Morales entered into Somerville, he allegedly continued to speed through several stop signs, drove through the Powder House Rotary going in the wrong direction, and avoided collision with a stopped car waiting to enter the rotary by driving on the sidewalk.

After slowing to make his way through the rotary and permitting the stopped vehicle at the rotary to move out of his way, Kalil observed the black SUV take a left turn onto Kidder Avenue. The trooper observed the SUV from a distance allegedly travel through several stop signs posted at intersections and continue to drive with its headlights off. When Kalil reached the SUV, it had already collided with Chahine’s cab.

Farris was transported to Somerville Hospital and pronounced dead that morning. Chahine and Hoyt were transported to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to be treated for their injuries. Chahine died of his injuries suffered in the crash on June 3.

Preliminary analysis by the State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section determined that the speed of the black SUV driven by Morales at point of impact was approximately 60 to 70 miles per hour. The analysis also determined that the taxi was moving at approximately 20 miles per hour. All of the cab’s occupants were wearing seat belts at the time. The violent impact of the collision ejected Farris from the cab and tore his seatbelt.

Morales was arraigned on district court charges on May 29 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Somerville District Court Judge Maurice Flynn ordered him held on $100,000 cash bail.

A Middlesex Superior Court Grand Jury indicted him on June 28 on two counts of manslaughter, two counts of motor vehicle homicide, and failure to stop for a police officer.

Morales' next court date will be on August 29 at 2 p.m. for a pretrial hearing in courtroom 8B of Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge.

The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant District Attorney Joseph Gentile. The victim witness advocate is Daniela Bianco.